Seeing Eye to Eye
by fantasyanimegirl283
Summary: It was his eyes. Cold, grey, and distant. It was as if too many tears washed away all the colour and life, then dried out, but she could still see the pain and emotion that stained them. Those eyes narrowed at Mikasa, and as she gazed into them she couldn't help but see her own. OneShot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own 進撃の巨人/Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan. It belongs to Hajime Isayama.**

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Seeing Eye to Eye

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Little sunlight managed to stream through the branches and leaves of the tall trees outside of the walls. It was dim, with the few beams of light looking similar to a spotlight, exposing whoever stood under it from the shadows.

"I see... You're the one from back then," a voice said lowly.

Humanity's strongest pair of soldiers quickly soared through the trees on their 3DMG with ease. They both had the same objective of saving Eren from the Female Titan, but for different reasons.

"You're Eren's close friend?" Corporal Levi finished, still flying fast while turning to face the girl with an icy glance. Their eyes met for the first time in a while.

His gaze bore into her, as if searching for more answers. Mikasa Ackerman gasped slightly in response, jaw dropped, and thin eyebrows lifted, causing the creases made by the glare she wore to disappear. She resisted the urge to look away, but she didn't want to stare either. She just remembered that his squad failed to save Eren, meaning that they were killed in action.

And Levi's stormy grey eyes just looked so dark at the moment, as he told her their plan of attack. It was as if all the deaths he witnessed were reflected off his eyes.

His eyes looked so dead.

Mikasa's thoughts changed shortly after, though, when she saw the sudden swing of emotions once Levi began to cut away at the Female Titan's flesh. He moved quickly, slashing at the titan's whole body. First spinning up the arm, when it tried to land a punch, and then the titan's eyes to blind it, then... He was so fast her eyes couldn't keep up and she couldn't even tell anymore. Steaming blood splattered, landing on nearby trees, on the ground, and some droplets on Levi himself. It wasn't his blood, of course.

Mikasa just watched in awe, not knowing if he even needed her assistance.

The expression he wore did not look dead anymore. Not at all. Mikasa never saw Levi look so alive. So full of emotion. She swore she saw a red glint in his eyes, as if the rage boiling inside of him was leaking out. His eyes were narrowed and his expression was murderous, with his jaw tightly clenched as he gritted his teeth.

The titan fell from his attacks, its hands too weak to cover its neck. Mikasa saw that as an opening. Her muscles began to tense up as she went towards it to give the finishing blow.

"No, stop!"

She never heard the corporal use that tone before, or raise his voice like that. She reacted to his voice, snapping her head in his direction to find the titan raising its hand to block her.

She was too late.

Mikasa inhaled sharply, bracing herself for the bony hand to strike her, break her, and maybe even kill her, but instead felt a human hand fiercely grab her, and push her aside.

In those few seconds, she saw those tinted red eyes again, striking against the grey irises. The colour grey never looked so bright before.

She shot the grapple hook into a nearby tree and watched as Levi, who saved her, land on the titan's hand in her place. She saw his foot hit the back of its hand, and she heard the crunch that came afterwards.

Levi merely grunted, gritted his teeth even more, and inhaled through his nose, showing little signs of pain. Any other soldier would've howled or shouted in agony, but he didn't have any time for that.

With the little strength he had left in that foot, he leapt off the Female Titan's hand and as he passed its face, slashed at the jaw. The titan's mouth opened moments later, revealing Eren who was still inside, unconscious and resting on the tongue.

Mikasa's heart skipped a beat and didn't hesitate when she cried out, "Eren!"

Levi came back again to carry Eren to safety, out of the titan's mouth. Eren was covered in warm saliva, so Levi tightly held onto him incase he slipped.

"He's alive, but filthy..." Levi assured Mikasa, as they headed back, away from the Female Titan.

They rescued Eren. That's all that mattered right now, and they didn't want to take any more chances. Mikasa's head hung low. Was she just a burden to Levi? She eyed Eren who was safe in the captain's grasp.

"Isn't he an important friend to you?" Levi questioned, as he continued to shoot through the trees on his 3D Maneuver Gear.

"I..." Mikasa tried to look at her captain's face, but there was a shadow casted over it, hiding his eyes that were once filled with emotion. She quickly looked away. She didn't know why it was suddenly so hard to make eye contact or look at him after their fight with the Female Titan.

Still, even if she couldn't see his expression, it was in her mind, and she couldn't seem to forget about it.

What was so familiar about it?

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"Sir, does it hurt?"

Levi turned to face Mikasa with his usual, stoic, serious expression. Hours passed after their expedition, and they were sitting by the fireplace back inside the walls. She nervously traced her fingers around the plate in front of her.

He deadpanned, "It isn't bad."

She shook her head, clenching her hands into a fist until her knuckles turned white. "Not your ankle, I mean..."

"I don't have any other injuries, Ackerman." Levi cut in quickly, as if to shut her up.

It's been a long time since he addressed her by her name. Even when she was being saved by him, he simply warned her, but didn't call her name.

Mikasa went on anyway, "The loss of your squad. Does it bother you? Does it hurt you?"

"Why are you asking me this? Do I look bothered or hurt? Honestly."

Mikasa admitted, "Yes, sir. Almost all the time."

Levi pressed his lips into a thin line and furrowed his thin eyebrows at her. He paused as if to think, but it really looked like he was annoyed with her random questions. He brought the cup he held up to his lips, sipping silently.

He swallowed, placed it down on the table, and answered, "No one really gives a damn about my well-being. I'm surprised that out of all people, it's you. Shouldn't you be watching over Eren?"

Mikasa was silenced. She looked down, her expression dark. Black strands of hair fell over her face. She said quietly, "If you'll hurt him."

"I shouldn't have said that. You actually made me believe that you were putting someone before Eren for once." He exhaled slowly, slightly leaning back in his seat.

"First of all, my face is always like this, and nothing's wrong with it." He retorted, clenching his teeth. "And don't think it's because of the shitty brat... I'm not angry at him. He didn't know any better."

"Still, he feels guilty about it," she told the corporal firmly. "Instead of looking bored and dead, and beating him up all the time, at least show some emotion to reassure him. He's got enough burdens to bear already. Whatever he bears, I do, too, and I hate seeing him like this."

She saw the way Levi slashed the Female Titan. She saw the rage etched on his features. He was capable of more than one expression.

"Know your place, Ackerman. I was the one who saved him, and even you, when you couldn't." Levi warned in a low voice, leaning forward.

She tried to speak, but Levi was quite chatty. Other than the sound of his icy tone, there was the sound of the fireplace cracking keeping it from being deadly silent. The firelight reflected off of Levi's grey eyes.

"My squad sacrificed themselves for him. He shouldn't be upset. He should be grateful. That should only make him want to be stronger," he said, meeting eyes with Mikasa. "And I told him many times that it wasn't his fault. This is a war. People will die. What do you want me to do? Cry in front of him? Mourn with him? If I were to show emotion to comfort him, he'd get weaker and the deaths will just hold him back. He still needs to adapt. I know you're his close friend, but there are some things he has to learn on his own."

"But I have to protect him," she replied, fists trembling.

"And he _was_ protected." Levi said bluntly, "It's not like he died, or anything."

It was his eyes that looked bothered and hurt, not his face. They were cold and distant. It was as if too many tears washed away all the colour and life, then dried out, but she could still see the pain and emotion that stained them.

_"My squad sacrificed themselves for him."_

She suddenly felt guilty for holding hatred and disgust against him. Levi was the one that saved him, after all.

Levi said coolly, "For now, just let Eren mourn, because when the next battle comes he can't. It's good to express yourself every now and then. Sometimes a person forgets how to show emotions."

His words struck Mikasa. For some reason in the back of her mind she thought he was talking about her, but clearly he wasn't.

"Forgets?" She questioned his word choice.

"War does that to you. If a person sees too many horrible things, they have to learn to get used to it... and the emotions they felt before gradually start to disappear."

She was never fond of her captain and she always thought he was a cruel person incapable of thinking of others. It was the gaze he had, like he wasn't really looking at the people in front of him, like they were nothing.

Those eyes narrowed at Mikasa, and as she gazed into them she couldn't help but see her own.

It was really the sight of blood and the death of all his comrades that numbed Levi. He chose not to show his emotion anymore so he wouldn't have to go through the same pain after seeing someone die in front of him. It only truly showed when he fought in their place and kept them alive in his heart. That one time when she saw that fire in his eyes when he fought the Female Titan.

For Gunther... Eld... Auruo... Petra... and countless others.

It was only memories of them that kept him going, that kept him from falling over from such a burden.

"But I saw you before. I know you're capable of emotions, captain..." Mikasa stated.

She saw it in his eyes because she recognized that gaze - the same gaze she wore many times in battle and even after battle.

"As are you." Levi replied.

And he was correct.

The sight of blood, pain, and the death of loved ones numbed Mikasa. It was as if she no longer had any emotion. She chose not to show emotion so she wouldn't worry the others or suddenly give into her feelings and lose her strength and composure. It only showed when her remaining loved ones were in danger or needed her help.

For Eren...

That's what kept her going.

She realized how similar their stoic expressions were and the reason behind it. They were both fighting for their comrades. They were just soldiers. They were human.

People with broken pasts.

And he was just a man with a sprained ankle, that she didn't really care about before.

"Sorry for bothering you." Mikasa sighed, getting up. "I guess I should thank you for earlier, and apologize about your ankle, too..."

"Just get your act together so it won't happen next time," he said gruffly. "People would worry if something happened to you."

"Yes, sir. Rest up, captain."

She started heading to hear room when she heard him call from his seat,

"Same to you, Ackerman."

Her last name rolled easily off his tongue. She looked over her shoulder at him from the corner of her eyes to lock with his own. Black clashed with steely grey eyes, acknowledging each other.

And they both rested well that night.

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**A/N: I guess this could be RivaMika, if you squint... I feel like the characters in Attack on Titan are a little hard for me to write and this is my first fanfic on it, so I hope the two weren't that OOC. Please review and let me know how I did. Thank you for reading :) Watch out: Spoiler below!**

***MANGA SPOILER***

**I had this in my notes for the longest time and never thought of posting it but after reading chapter 56 and 57, I had to start writing again. I honestly only worked on it because of Levi-f*cking-Ackerman! I wanted to show how Mikasa and Levi were similar... I know they're probably not related, but they're still both Ackermans!**


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